Dakota Beacon

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

The surge of Donald Trump as an outsider should come as no surprise. If it weren’t for the behavior of the Washington establishment – Republicans, Democrats, and assorted interest groups along with a complicit media -- there would be no need for Donald Trump. This triumvirate is otherwise known as the Ruling Class.

The Trump phenomenon is nothing new. It was created by the Ruling Class and fostered for their own ends. I know of what I speak.

In 1987 I was still on active duty with the US Army serving in the Pentagon with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As such, I could not be politically active. I was “Hatched,” a term used for government employees who were covered under the Hatch Act and prohibited from partisan political activity.

My wife, however, was not prohibited and participated freely. She worked with direct mail pioneer, magnate, and conservative Richard Viguerie in Northern Virginia on various political campaigns. This brought us into contact with a variety of political notables such as Morton Blackwell and his Leadership Institute and President Gerald Ford’s Secretary of the Navy J. William Middendorf among others. These were heady times under President Ronald Reagan. After retiring from the Army I, too, became politically active.

Many lessons were learned not the least of which was that the established rulers within the Republican Party (and I suspect the Democrat Party) do not like newcomers gaining ascendancy. And they especially do not like conservatives. They do, however, welcome their money and the labor they provide.

For the better part of the last century the US Government has been run as an appendage of the controlling Democrat Party with its liberals and progressives and with complicity of the Republican Party.

The dominant media also colludes with Republicans, Democrats, liberals, and progressives in a business-as-usual and non-disruptive environment. In effect, the media serves as the public relations arm of the Ruling Class. In doing so, the media has lost its moral authority squandering it with the American public long before Trump’s criticism of the media. No longer can the media be trusted as an honest broker. This illustrates how far out of touch with the common man the media and Ruling Class really is.

Enter Donald Trump. Professional Republicans hate him. He speaks to issues from which the professional politicians shy away. Trump does not need their money which means he can’t be bought by interest groups. He resonates with the American public giving voice to their concerns and discontents. Speaking extemporaneously and sometimes without precision he is frequently construed as a liar. He has a thought and that is better than the Republican Ruling Class who has neither a thought nor a plan. They accomplished nothing even when given a majority by the American people in both houses of congress. Shame on them.

And that is why Donald Trump has surged in popularity. He is not of the elite and American voters appear tired of elites. We’ll see if he drives this attitude through the midterm elections.

The Republican Ruling Class does not offer a “big tent” in spite of their rhetoric. They have never truly welcomed conservatives or outsiders. They do not want conservatives or outsiders anywhere near the reigns of power. But when it comes to elections, the establishment most certainly will claim the mantle of conservatism because they want votes. They take the American public for fools. But, who are the fools when the Republican establishment picks losing moderate candidates to run for president?

Many multi-term congressmen and senators become part of the establishment. A reasonable case for term limits can be made when reviewing the lack of accomplishments of the permanent political class. Where is their leadership when it counts? On many of the following items, especially military legislation, they seldom co-sponsor legislation much less lead on the national issues. They remain part of the inert establishment enjoying their perks. As part of the majority of their respective houses they have accomplished zero on illegal immigration, the devastating sequestration, the fight against terrorism, correcting America’s disastrous health care policy, reversing the upward trend of the ever-increasing national debt, thwarting the monstrous spread of federal regulations – the list goes on. They are part of the establishment. Very little changed in 2010, 2012 and 2014. Not until 2016 and Trump’s outsider style of leadership did things begin to change. We will see what 2018 brings.

Too often the Republican majority is afraid of the Democrat minority. They are afraid of the media. They are afraid to lead. As if their failure to lead is not enough, they are also indicted by their silence on the Robert Mueller investigation. The only person to give voice to America’s concerns in plain English is Donald Trump.

The 2018 elections will not be routine on the political scene. Voters are irate.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).